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Homemade ceramic and nylon liner lock folder (w/pics)

Here's something I threw together today. It's the first knife handle I've made. I wanted a metal free locking folder but I didn't want to pay the $$$ for a custom professionally-made one.

I started with a ceramic knife from DX that came with a big, ugly, heavy handle. Then I bought some 1/8" black nylon 6/6 strip and a pack of 10-24 1/2" nylon screws. Before I started, I didn't know that the screws had plain-colored cores. With the exception of making sure the knife's blade was thinner than 1/8" and making sure that #10 screws are the closest English size to the 5mm hole through the blade, I made no measurements and did everything freehand. I didn't really consider how the knife would look. It just kind of came together as I was making it.

The knife as finished. Total weight: 44g.

The inside layer. I think I did pretty well considering that I wasn't looking at the blade when I marked my cut, which was a total freehand guess. The blade rests on the screw, and doesn't touch the inner layer at all. I used one of the bushings that came in the knife thinned by crushing it in the vice to eliminate lateral play.

Tapping the screw holes. I had to put the clamps that close to prevent the layers coming apart. The nylon material is very tough but also very flexible.

Re: Homemade ceramic and nylon liner lock folder (w/pics)

Good job LukeA, very simple and neat handle, a huge improvement over that DX clunker How's the ceramic blade? Is it reasonable quality? Looks like that would make a nice, light EDC

Thanks! The blade is nicely ground, but the bevel is a little too wide IMO. It's about ±30˚, so it can seem like it's not that sharp, but I can live with it as a compromise for edge durability.

Originally Posted by greenLED

Very cool. How'd you get the liner lock bent like that?

Thanks! I just cold bent it using my hand and then my bench vise and it came out alright. After sitting with the knife closed for a while the lock only closes about halfway across the blade, but it's probably plenty, and I can still push the lock to engage the whole way like in the picture.

Originally Posted by ama230

Awesome job btw and it looks like there is just the right tolerance to hold it in place once you push the liner under the blade, but its only my guess.

Thank you! You're right, I got pretty lucky with regard to the lack of play in the liner lock. When I cut the liner lock, I planned to make it too long and to shorten it until it fit, but it fit right off the bat. Also, the blade is ground with an angle where the lock engages to give a little length tolerance and still have solid engagement.